As an Ethics educator who has at heart education, I have been reflecting for quite a while on the Maltese education system – a system that welcomes more than 80,000 students (from pre-primary to post-secondary education), influencing the lives of thousands that form part of it throughout the years. Through my experiences inside and outside class, I am observing the ends that our education system is trying to serve. I can see that there is a spectrum taking place. On one end, a system that is prioritising the “human”, and on the other, a system that is prioritising the “market”.  

Given the “Envision2050” framework that the Maltese government is undertaking, a vision for Malta’s future, I have embarked on a 3-month project, in which I created a manifesto with 100 policy suggestions on education to ‘balance the spectrum’ when it comes to our system. This manifesto argues that, as is, the Maltese education system often falls prey to serving ‘standards’ and markets, rather than to humanise education, that is, to prepare students to be active and ethical beings. 

It is further divided into three pillars. The first pillar goes over the philosophy behind humanising education and its plea for reform. The second pillar focuses on the educators’ sense of agency and esteem within the system. Lastly, the third pillar delves into the treatment of students as human beings, rather than merely prospective workers.

The aim of this manifesto is not to highlight the detrimental effects of an industry-oriented education system, nor to condemn current procedures. It is not primarily a critique. It is a framework – a philosophy, if you will. In the spirit of critical pedagogy, I named this manifesto a “Manifesto of Hope”, an outlook on education that hopes to bring forward the human in our education system. Yet, it does not only hope – it also dares.

For instance, in Pillar 1 (titled A Philosophy of Humanising Education), I tackle the importance of creating encounters with each other to support different narratives. I further introduce some policies to integrate the Humanities and the STEM subjects, whilst also challenging issues of “neutrality” that are found in our education system.

In the second pillar (Educators’ Agency and Esteem), I focus on three main points: (i) policies on empowering educators’ wellbeing and sense of agency; (ii) continuous learning for our educators, and (iii) the importance of transitioning educators into “public intellectuals”.

In the last pillar (Students as Humans), the policies proposed are categorised in four sections, all focused on the student, being: (i) self-care measures for our students; (ii) student socialisation and parental involvement; (iii) offering a wider course of studies, and lastly, (iv) on the importance of community building.

Ultimately, all of these policy suggestions aim to ‘humanise’ our education system, whilst keeping the economic demands in their place. As a country, let us strive for an education system that reminds us again what it means to be human, and therefore, what it means to live together.All I ask is for our policymakers to offer their drawing board to the public and welcome these policies for consideration, especially coming from the lens of an educator, and thus from the front lines.

You can read this article done by Ms Semira Shalan on the 24th of August 2025 on the proposed document and vision.